One of my favorite video game moments of the past decade, this game is such a treat, I am still so early on that I hope & am almost positive that this won't be the last treat that this game has for me (I don't read or watch anything on this game to avoid any spoilers as I leisurely experience it).

My only gripe so far being that my magician seems useless so far (I spec'd his points wrong?) I guess I'll have to let him get his head bashed in until he can level up, otherwise he might as well have been called "guy who might as well be carying a torch as he's incapable of doing anything else" and every time I have him try he fumbles & fizzles while the rest of the party just looks at him all dumbfounded while bad guys smash their skulls (even his recent magic wand find, might as well be a limp donkey fallus for all the good it does him currently).

The mage is actually the most dependable character when it comes to combat, never misses. But you have to have the right amount of skillpoints for the given spell and you need to get the rune combination right. You'll find those combinations on scrolls.

Focus on one element and also give points to the spellcraft skill to increase your max energy. I chose fire during my 2 playthroughs, as the fireball spell becomes very powerful after you obtain a certain skill and a secret item (zhandul's orb). Also the fire shield spell proves very useful when fighting fire elementals.

Ice is also good for its ability to freeze enemies, which helps if you have an assassin. Air has invisibility. The spellcraft branch will give you access to the light spell early on, so you don't need torches.